There is a high probability that the success of the terrorist strategy of 11 Sep. 2001 will again be repeated against one of the 108 nuclear power plants in North America. Such a scenario would require the capture of a large passenger aircraft by terrorists within a short time period in order not to trigger an air-to-air neutralization by military aircraft. This also means that other recently implemented security would have to fail.
Installations such as nuclear power plants are vulnerable to damaging attacks from large, high speed commercial aircraft. These plants were designed several decades ago to primarily withstand internal pressures and prevent the escape of radiated debris originating within the containment building. This protection is substantial and was adequate at its time, even against the commercial fleet of the day. To give an indication of protection, one nuclear power plant was given an adequate rating of protection against an aircraft crash into the containment building at 116,000 lbs. at 300 fps.
There are two levels of protection around the nuclear reactor—the containment building consisting of several feet of concrete and steel plating, and by several inches of high strength steel surrounding the nuclear reactor core. Similarly, protection around spent fuel is substantial and is being improved constantly. The protection of the reactor also provides protection for nuclear waste storage areas.
Today's aircraft have a combined speed and mass of 52 times the energy calculated in the 1980 study. If the protection of the containment building was only calculated as adequate in this referenced study, it appears abundantly evident that a force 52 times that calculated strength would easily penetrate the containment building. In addition, empirical evidence from the 911 Pentagon attack indicates that the initial penetration of a three foot wall continued through three other walls before the energy was dissipated. Using the higher speed/mass of a 747 and an optimal impact point, it is very probable that the energy of such a crash would split not only the containment building but the 8 inch steel casing of the nuclear reactor as well. Once breached, the ample jet fuel from the aircraft would combust the fuel bundles and the remaining radiated debris within the containment building.